One headline tweak. 5.9% more sign-ups.

You've built a solid email acquisition funnel.

Paid acquisition spends are dialed in. The general signup page on your website loads fast. The form only asks for what you need.

But website signup conversions are flatlining, and you can't figure out why.

The problem might be the first thing people read.

Here's what one fascinating test from NextAfter revealed about the power of getting specific:

The experiment
Minnesota Public Radio was running a landing page to collect email sign-ups for their "Talking Sense" e-book — a guide to navigating difficult political conversations.

The control headline was solid but generic:

Free E-book: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better

NextAfter tested a treatment that made the value and immediacy more explicit:

Get instant access to this free e-book "Talking Sense" today to have better political conversations

The result: a 5.9% increase in sign-up rate — validated with a 95.5% confidence level across 16,679 visitors.

And here's a bonus: the treatment also produced a 12.9% lift in donations. That result didn't hit statistical significance, but it suggests the clearer headline didn't just attract more sign-ups — it attracted more motivated sign-ups.

Why this works
Look at what the treatment headline added: "instant access," "today," and a clear outcome ("better political conversations").

The control assumed visitors would fill in the blanks. The treatment did the work for them.

The takeaway is consistent: when you name the benefit clearly, people act. 

When someone lands on your page to sign up, even if they’re all-in on your mission, they're also asking one question: What's in it for me?

The lesson: clarity beats cleverness. Specificity beats vague promises.

How to apply this to your program
Audit your highest-traffic acquisition pages this week:

Read your headline out loud. Does it answer "what will I get?" and "why should I care?" If not, rewrite it.

Test one variable. Keep everything else the same and run a headline-only A/B test. Most email platforms and landing page tools make this easy.

Steal from your confirmation emails. The copy you use to welcome new subscribers often does a better job explaining value than your sign-up page. Borrow from it!

The bottom line
Your landing page headline isn't just an introduction — it's a filter. 

A vague headline attracts vague interest. A specific, benefit-driven headline attracts people ready to engage — and hopefully inspires continued action and revenue.

One line of copy. That's all it takes to move the needle.

Check our events list for more or reply to this email to submit one for consideration.

'Til next time!
Sara

P.S. Your agency’s or organization’s learnings from year-end campaigns or A/B tests could help spark more wins across the sector! Reply directly to this email to share your successes.